“In Peru, child rapists are not strangers for their possible victims. In some cases, they share the same house and even the same blood. In others, they abuse their power and take advantage of the child’s innocence”.
This was written by El Comercio, regarding child rapists in Peru, while mentioning figures they call “scattered and worrisome”.
According to the latest penitentiary statistical report of INPE (Instituto Nacional Penitenciario del Perú, or National Penitentiary Institute of Peru), there are 8,430 prisoners in the country serving time for having raped a child or adolescent. This crime is the second, after aggravated robbery and represents 9.6% of all inmates in the country.
The report also reveals that at least 34 of those imprisoned for raping a minor have been admitted more than five times in a penitentiary institution.
“That there are 8,000 prisoners for rape reveals that there is a serious problem of violation of children’s rights that must be addressed urgently”, said Matilde Cobeña, deputy for Children and Adolescents of the Ombudsman’s Office.
In addition, El Comercio explains that there are difficulties that lead to the reports on child rape to take a very long time to process and the victims desist pursuing the complaints. This should be another issue to be addressed within the Peruvian justice system.
